Fantasy football: Bad weeks even happen for top players

Oct. 7, 2012

If you have Atlanta's Julio Jones, this 30-yard catch was all he gave your fantasy team last week. Weeks like that happen for top players, but can be especially frustrating when it happens to your whole team in the same week. / U.S. Presswire

» Second round pick Ryan Mathews: 14 carries, 60 yards. He also watched someone named Jackie Battle get goal line carries and a touchdown reception.

» Third round pick Julio Jones: A catch for 30 yards.

» No. 2 running back Jonathon Stewart: Spent more time watching the Daily Show than following blockers.

We've all been through this. I went down to a resounding defeat to fall to 2-2 in the MNCO Reader League because of this disaster.

The problem with a week like this is that there is no way to see it coming. My guys had good matchups and should have had good to big days. Instead, they played like waiver wire flex options when Chris Johnson ran like the best back in football.

Unpredictable, this fantasy football.

Every loss counts as a loss, no matter how it happens. I was tempted to take some drastic measures after my spectacular failure. I wanted to offer Calvin up to get a No. 1 running back, dump Julio to anyone and visit Norv Turner in San Diego to discuss what the plan for Mathews will be going forward.

Once I calmed down, I took stock. I still have a pretty decent team that is a little receiver heavy. I can still make the playoffs in this league. As we know, if you make the playoffs, the league title is still available.

The Tebow issue

Let's get this out of the way. I'm sure Tim Tebow is a perfectly good human being. He believes strongly in his faith and has no issues with expressing it publicly. Good for him. And yes, after winning my league with my high school buddies last year, I Tebowed.

But, he is a bad NFL quarterback. He can't throw, which is sort of a necessary skill in the passing-led NFL. He's just not any good.

That said, he is a glorious fantasy option, mainly because he will get the Jets' short yardage carries and plenty of chances. You can do a lot worse than Tebow as your fantasy team's quarterback when he is promoted to starter.

If you're thin at QB, might as well go get him now. His legs should make him a viable fantasy option.

Claim these players

» Bilal Powell and Jeremy Kerley, Jets: With Shonn Greene struggling, Powell will be the first Jet looked to for carries once Greene is benched. As for Kerley, someone has to catch touchdown passes in New York now that Santonio Holmes is out for the year and Stephen Hill has gone back to playing like a rookie. (I like Dustin Keller to take that role if he can ever get healthy this season. Sanchez loves throwing to him. He would be a starting tight end in fantasy should he return healthy.)

» Greg Little, Browns: He's probably owned. If he is, try to get him cheap. If not, go get him. Yes, he has issues catching the ball. But, Brandon Weeden keeps throwing to him because he is always open. Even if he drops half the balls thrown to him, Weeden will still target him 10 times.

I know. Watching Little drop passes frustrates me, too. But, we don't make decisions with our hearts or emotions in fantasy sports. Forget that he has terrible hands. Weeden will keep throwing to him because he's the best receiver on the team, at least as it comes to getting open . If he ever learned to catch the ball, Little would be a high end second receiver because of how often Weeden looks to him.

» Matt Hasselbeck, Titans: If you're in a two-quarterback league or desperate to keep from starting Mark Sanchez, Hasselbeck is a good play. He'll be solid while Locker is out. You won't win because of what he does, but you will get production.

The returning wounded

Three players at a key position, who are coming off significant injuries, will be back this week.

While I would approach Rahard Mendenhall's return in Pittsburgh with an uneasy optimism, I'd be worried about playing Fred Jackson or C.J. Spiller in Buffalo. We don't know how they will split up the workload, Jackson is coming back early from a knee injury and Spiller's shoulder injury looked nasty when it happened. Don't chase points at key positions. But, keep an eye on these guys in case either gets a defined role.

Chad Conant is a sports copy editor for the Media Network of Central Ohio. He can be reached on email at cconant@nncogannett.com and on Twitter @mnj_fantasy.